Bearing arrangements having sensors to detect a position of the bearing are known. One such arrangement, for example as provided in U.S. Pat. No. 5,026,178, uses a combination of magnets and Hall effect sensors in order to determine a rotation speed of a shaft or hub. However, the arrangement provided here requires a complicated assembly with magnetic elements connected to the cages holding the rolling elements between the inner and outer bearing rings. Further, multiple Hall effect sensors must be located at various positions between the inner and outer bearing rings. Additional examples of these types of sensors integrated into bearings using magnets with Hall effect sensors are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,700,367 and 5,967,669.
It is further known in the art to detect bearing vibrations using proximity probes, for example, as provided in U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,310. Additionally, torque sensing bearings using a magneto elastic ring that is press-fit onto the inner race is also known from U.S. Pat. No. 7,493,831.
The drawbacks associated with many of these known arrangements include complex assembly as well as higher costs. Further, depending on the application, such as in automotive systems, there are additional problems related to failures due to contamination in use. Additionally, such sensor arrangements in bearings operating as a magnetic Hall effect sensor have low sensitivity and generally cannot operate at high frequencies required, for example, that are necessary to track the high speeds of rotating elements in automobile engines and/or transmissions. Further, the sensors used in such prior known bearings become disrupted when debris and lubricant contamination enter into them.
There has been an increased need in the automotive field for tracking the torque and speed of various shafts used in engines and transmissions in order to allow for greater engine control for improved economy and reduced fuel consumption. Further, for example in automatic transmissions, additional data is required in order to reduce the shift harshness often encountered during shifting based on the current shift parameters used by the ECM or TCM particularly with the increased use of more gear ratios, for example nine or ten speeds in the automatic double clutch transmissions currently entering the market.